Stack effect in tall buildings
Conference
·
OSTI ID:33265
- Morrison Hershfield Ltd. Consulting Engineers, Ottawa, Ontario (Canada). Building Science Services
Buoyancy forces due to the density difference between cold outdoor air and warm indoor air are known to cause problems in tall buildings in cold climates. Such problems as elevator doors that do not close and prevent the car from moving, unbalanced ventilation and exhaust airflows in vertical shafts, lobby entrance doors that are difficult to open in cold weather, and discomfort on lower floors due to large quantities of cold infiltrating air are usually a direct result of buoyancy forces acting on these elements of the building during cold weather. The ASHRAE Task Group on Tall Buildings commissioned Research Project 661, ``Field Verification of Problems Caused by Stack Effect in Tall Buildings,`` with the objectives of measuring the magnitude of specific problems related to stack effect in a tall building exposed to cold weather and testing the effect of modifications to the heating, ventilating, and air-conditioning (HVAC) system designed to reduce these problems. The measurements indicated that stack effect caused few observable problems in the specific building measured. Simulations showed that these problems were strongly dependent on the envelope air leakage area. Stack-induced pressures across fire exit doors in leaky tall buildings could exceed the limits for force required to open the doors. Maintaining an airtight envelope above the lobby level minimizes all the problems related to stack effect. Differential pressurization of floors to counteract stack effect was found to be inappropriate for the great majority of buildings. Airtight vestibules around entrance, elevator, and stairwell doors or automatic door openers can reduce door-opening problems due to high stack pressures where envelope leakage is difficult to address.
- OSTI ID:
- 33265
- Report Number(s):
- CONF-9406105--
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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